Stories

“Stories – Telling stories together” is a
unique German-Dutch collaboration between literature festivals in Deventer and
Osnabrück. The aim is to increase the visibility of German and Dutch culture –
particularly in the form of stories and texts – in each other’s countries and
to bring artists, authors, and residents from both nations together in creative
exchange.
The partnership is driven by a shared
passion for telling stories across linguistic, cultural, and other boundaries. Newly
developed German-Dutch program components of the literature festival
“Woordwaarde” and the “Boekenmarkt” of Events dEVENTer, as well as of the
poetry festival “DichterBij” by cultural organization MIMIK, come together with
the newly founded Osnabrück literature festival “Stories” organised by the City
of Osnabrück.
Together, the festivals transform their
atmospheric city centres into places of German-Dutch encounters. Storytelling
becomes a tangible experience through accessible, popular, and multimedia stage
programmes that also appeal to people who have had little previous contact with
literature.
In addition, an accompanying programme
featuring public activities and artisanal market stalls invites visitors to
explore and try out things themselves. The festival exchange is based on a
shared philosophy in which participatory storytelling is central. Spectators
become participants; residents from both countries are actively involved and enter
into a dialogue with one another.
In Osnabrück, the festival also marks the
kick-off of a special German-Dutch component within the so-called “Kulturextra”.
This multi-month, citywide programme annually invites artists to develop and
present their own projects. In 2027 it will focus on exchange between cultural
creators from Deventer and Osnabrück.